No Phone Zone Pledge

A show hasn't ended lately without Oprah urging viewers to take her no phone zone pledge. She has three different options if you go to her website.  No texting while driving, no texting and cell phone use only if it's hands free, or no phones period.  True to my nature, I took the middle of the road way out.   In my opinion, texting while driving should be a no brainer, but there are a lot of people who do it and it's not just teenagers.   According to Oprah, studies have shown that drivers talking on a cell phone are four times more likely to get into an accident. Almost 6,000 people have died and a half a million have been injured due to drivers having their hands off the wheel.  

Families shared their stories of losing a loved one as a result of someone talking or texting on their cell phone.  Oprah compared people talking on phones and texting in the car to having a multitude of drunk drivers on the road.  Dr. David Strayer shared studies that have been done on driver distractions.  According to Dr. Strayer, when people are talking on the phone they have tunnel vision and lose a lot of periphery information.  Your brain can only take in so much information and our brains aren't wired to multitask.  Part of me likes the luxury cell phones give us, and I hate to have any rights taken away from me.  However, I see how texting and cell phone usage in the car is a huge detriment to society.  One mother put it simply, "Your car isn't a phone booth.  It's purpose is to take you from point A to point B".  I used to call people every now and then just to chat while I was driving, but after seeing this show I will only use my bluetooth in necessary situations.   As a mother with a son a few years away from driving, my hope is that laws are passed in all 50 states that ban texting and talking on the phone while driving.

Dr. Oz gives us even more reasons to limit cell phone use.  Not only are they dangerous to use in the car, but some doctors believe and studies have been done that show the radio waves that cell phones use can cause serious health problems such as brain tumors after prolonged use.

Dr. Oz shares the following basic guidelines:

1. Don't keep your cell phone on you all the time

2. Use speakerphone or a wireless headset.

3. Limit exposure

4. Young children should only use them in case of an emergency.

5. Don't chat with a poor signal-it emits more radiation.

6. Don't wear wireless headsets as if they were jewelry. - I have seen people in the grocery store do this.  

Are you ready to take the pledge?